Broadway Dads

For father's day I thought I might write a tribute to my awesome father by equating his love, support and sense of humor to some iconic Broadway dads, but I quickly realized that would not be easy.

Probably the most famous Broadway dad is Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Lots of people had "Tevye" for a father. A man who tries to control every aspect of his children's lives and drives a wedge between them by doing so. Yes, he eventually comes around because he loves you anyway, but that was never my dad...a man who just wanted his children to be happy.

Broadway is filled with lots of absentee father's. Of the top 25 Longest Running Broadway Musicals you have Dads in Mamma Mia and Miss Siagon who are unaware they even have children until somewhere late in Act I. Simba's Dad in The Lion King dies in the second or third scene and dads in Mary Poppins and Peter Pan are there to set up scenes that leave the kids alone so the story can begin. In Peter Pan the actor who plays Dad turns into Capt. Hook in Act II, so that can NOT be good!

Annie is an orphan too, and has that sweet Daddy Warbucks, right? Nope! Daddy Warbucks only brings home an Orphan for Christmas for good P.R. before eventually overcoming the annoying way she belt "tomorrow" non-stop to adopt her.

Probably the most awesome dad in musical theatre history is Jean Valjean in Les Miz. He does everything for Cosette, the little girl who is not even his real daughter. He picks up and starts a new life, like, idunno, every other scene to evade Javert so he can protect her. Once she meets Marius, he basically says "Ok I can go to back to prison, or die in the battle, or whatever, cuz my little girl has a handsome boyfriend now."

My dad is probably most like Wilber in Hairspray. Always there with a funny joke or a kind and encouraging word to help you follow your own path. While I hope my equally awesome mom is not offended that I picked a character married to a excessively large drag performer on stage, I think the title of Wilber's song summarizes how I feel about my dad. Dad..."Your're timeless to me" and I love you.